In this section

CHURCHES.

The chapel of Romford was first
mentioned in 1177, when the pope confirmed it to
Hornchurch priory along with the church of Havering i.e. St. Andrew, Hornchurch, and other possessions previously granted by Henry II. (fn. 1) Romford
remained part of the parish of Hornchurch until the
19th century. The original chapel, also dedicated to
St. Andrew, lay at the junction of South Street and
Oldchurch Road, on the south side. That spot,
immediately east of the river, was still known in the
19th century as Old Church mead. (fn. 2) As Romford
grew larger its chapel, which was 2½ miles from the
parish church, began to seek independence. In 1236
there seems to have been a move to establish a
graveyard there. Henry III ordered that this should
not be done until he had conferred with the bishop
of London, and that seems to have been the end of
the matter. (fn. 3) By the 15th century the growth of the
town along the main London-Colchester road had
left the old chapel isolated, and a new one, dedicated
to St. Edward the Confessor, was therefore built on
the present site in the market-place. (fn. 4) When the
new chapel was consecrated in 1410 it was at last
agreed that there should be a graveyard there, but in
other respects the rights of the parish church, and
those of New College, Oxford, as owners of the
rectory, were strictly reserved. The new chapel was
built under the leadership of Robert Chichele, a
London merchant, and brother of Henry Chichele,
later archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 5) Robert Chichele
held the manor of Gidea Hall and other local
estates. (fn. 6) Henry Chichele, who in 1408 became
bishop of St. Davids, was authorized by the bishop
of London to consecrate the new chapel. (fn. 7) As a
graduate of New College he may well have taken
part in the negotiations with the college concerning
the new chapel.

Under the agreement of 1410 those worshipping
at Romford were bound to contribute as before to
the repair of the parish church, as well as maintaining
their own chapel. They tended to regard that
obligation as unfair, and in 1529 joined with
Havering to secure an arbitration award under
which their total annual payments towards the
repair of Hornchurch church were limited to
16s. 8d., unless the church had suffered catastrophic
damage. (fn. 8) After 1529 there is no evidence that
Romford made any substantial contributions to the
repair of Hornchurch church until 1802–3, when
the south aisle of the church was being rebuilt. At
that time a copy of the agreement of 1410 came to
light, and Hornchurch, having taken counsel's
opinion, successfully levied a church-rate in
Romford. (fn. 9) No reference was then made to the
award of 1529, which had evidently been forgotten.
Romford was still paying church-rates to Hornchurch in 1814. (fn. 10)

While seeking independence from Hornchurch,
Romford chapel attempted to gain control over all
the northern wards of the parish: Collier Row,
Harold Wood, Noak Hill, and Havering, as well as
the Town, By the late 15th century Romford was
levying chapel-rates in all these wards. (fn. 11) The only
serious opposition came from Havering, which had
its own chapel, and by the late 17th century a
graveyard also. In 1650 it was proposed that a new
parish should be formed for Romford, comprising
the Town, Harold Wood, and Collier Row, and
another parish for Havering and Noak Hill; but
that came to nothing. (fn. 12) By 1750 Havering had at
last broken free from Romford, and in 1784 it
became independent also of Hornchurch. (fn. 13) Romford
itself became a separate parish in 1848–9. (fn. 14)

The chaplain of Romford chapel was appointed
and remunerated by Hornchurch priory from the
12th to the 14th century, and later by New College,
until the late 15th century, from which time the
college seems usually to have delegated those
functions to the vicar of Hornchurch, reserving the
right to remove the chaplain. (fn. 15) From the later 14th
century the chaplain drew his income mainly from
the small tithes of Romford, granted to him on long
lease. (fn. 16) This was a voluntary arrangement similar in
effect, though not in law, to that of a normal
vicarage. (fn. 17) In 1734, when a new chaplain was required,
the vicar of Hornchurch considered paying him a
fixed stipend, and keeping the small tithes of Romford in his own hands. (fn. 18) That may occasionally have
been done in the 18th century, but the old practice
of leasing the small tithes in kind to the chaplain
was probably the usual arrangement until the time
of Anthony Grant (chaplain 1838–62). (fn. 19) All the
parochial tithes were commuted in 1846–9, (fn. 20) but
Grant's successors continued to be appointed as
lessees of the benefice until 1926–7, when New
College endowed the vicarage. (fn. 21)

The income of the early chaplains is not known,
but some idea of it may be inferred from the
terms of their leases. A lease granted in 1369 was for
3 years at 9 marks a year. (fn. 22) Another, granted to the
same chaplain in 1384, was for 14 years at £10. (fn. 23)
Those two leases included certain great tithes,
which no later chaplain is known to have enjoyed. A
chaplain appointed in 1615 was granted a 50-year
lease at an annual rent of £66 13s. 4d. (fn. 24) In 1650 the
chaplain was receiving £45 a year, allowed by the
government from the small tithes. (fn. 25) During the later
years of the Interregnum he was receiving also an
augmentation of £30 to £40. (fn. 26) By the 17th century
the chaplain was receiving a considerable amount
from subscriptions. (fn. 27) In 1734 it was stated that his
total income was never less than £200, including
subscriptions of £20 to £50 or more; out of this he
had to pay about £80 rent to the vicar of Hornchurch
for his lease. (fn. 28) In 1849 the small tithes of Romford
were commuted for £287, charged entirely on the
section of the parish south of the main London
road. (fn. 29)

By 1384 there was a parsonage, called the Priest's
House, which was leased to the chaplain along with
the small tithes. (fn. 30) It was possibly identical with
Priests, a house on the site of the present Priests
Avenue, east of Havering Road, (fn. 31) and if so it may
have been the parsonage as early as 1272, for Ralph
of Langley, who was then chaplain, certainly had
property in that area, as did one of his successors
soon after. (fn. 32) If Priests was the parsonage it was
inconveniently remote from Romford chapel, and it
had passed into lay ownership by 1689. (fn. 33) It was
rebuilt about 1814 by Octavius Mashiter, whose
family held it throughout the 19th century, (fn. 34) but
it has since been demolished.

The 'old vicarage', adjoining the churchyard,
still existed in 1879. (fn. 35) It had an 18th-century front,
with Ionic pilasters, but the irregular rear portions
were probably older. It must have gone out of use
by 1846, when the vicarage was a large house, in
grounds of 2 a., on the west side of North Street,
near the market-place. (fn. 36) The North Street vicarage
was used until 1909, since when there have been
several moves. (fn. 37)

The guild of Our Lady in Romford chapel was in
existence by 1479, and received several bequests
during the following years. (fn. 38) At its dissolution in
1548 it had a net annual income of £4 6s. 10d., which
maintained a priest, John Saunder, and provided
5s. for the poor. (fn. 39) Its property included a house called
the Tilekiln on Harold Wood common, which later
formed the endowment of the Tilekiln charity. (fn. 40)

Avery Cornburgh (d. 1487), lord of the manors of
Dagenhams and Gooshayes, by his will founded a
chantry in Romford chapel. (fn. 41) The terms of the
benefaction were recorded in verse on his tomb,
which still survived in the chapel in the early 17th
century. (fn. 42) The total endowment was £13 a year,
of which £10 was for the stipend of the chantry
priest, who was to preach not only at Romford, but
at South Ockendon, Hornchurch, Dagenham, and
Barking. At the dissolution of the chantry in 1548 the
net income was £12 0s. 11d. (fn. 43) There was a chantry
house or 'priest's chamber'. It is thought to have
been the building, immediately east of the church,
which was a public house for many years before
1908, when it was bought back by the church and
re-opened as Church House. (fn. 44) It is a timberframed range of 16th-century character, four bays
long, with jetties to the street and the churchyard,
and a gallery above a wide jetty on the rear elevation.
It may once have formed part of a larger building
which extended eastwards along the street, and had
an open yard. The building was much altered in the
18th or the early 19th century. (fn. 45)

The names of at least 10 chaplains of Romford
have been recorded before the Reformation. (fn. 46) From
the late 16th century the list seems to be fairly
complete. (fn. 47) By the 17th century, if not earlier, the
inhabitants of Romford were choosing, or helping
to choose, their own chaplain, though the legal
right of appointment still lay with the vicar of
Hornchurch as the agent of New College. (fn. 48) The
most notable 17th-century chaplain was John
Morse, 1615–48, a prominent Puritan. (fn. 49) Dr.
Gloster Ridley, 1748–62, and his son and successor James Ridley, 1762–5, were both successful
writers. (fn. 50) Between c. 1770 and 1848 Romford
chapel seems to have been left for long periods in
the care of an assistant curate, who usually served
also as Sunday afternoon lecturer. (fn. 51) In 1792 the
chapel vestry complained that the lecturer had
delivered 'heavy and pointed denunciations from
the pulpit' tending to stir up controversy. (fn. 52) His
successor, Dr. John Wiseman, was dismissed in
1810, also after a dispute. (fn. 53) Dr. George Croly,
curate in the 1830s, was a writer, dramatic critic,
and later a popular City preacher. (fn. 54) Anthony Grant,
vicar 1838–62, was a distinguished lecturer who
became archdeacon of St. Albans in 1846 and canon
of Rochester in 1860. (fn. 55) Like many of his predecessors
he was a New College man. The parish church was
rebuilt during his incumbency.

The former chapel of ST. ANDREW has disappeared, and nothing is known of its appearance or
construction. The chapel of ST. EDWARD THE
CONFESSOR, consecrated in 1410, survived
until 1849. When new it contained features notable
enough to be imitated in the specification (1413) of
improvements to the parish church of Halstead, in
north Essex. (fn. 56) At the time of its demolition the
chapel was a large building comprising nave,
chancel, north aisle and chapel, west tower, and
north and south porches. (fn. 57) The north aisle and
chapel, which were the same width and height as
the nave and chancel, may have been late-15th-century additions, perhaps associated with the
guild of Our Lady, or Cornburgh's chantry. (fn. 58) From
the parish records it seems unlikely that any major
external alterations or additions had been carried
out after the 15th century except for the rebuilding of
the tower in 1790. (fn. 59) Repairs carried out in 1641
included the removal of stained glass. (fn. 60) Romford
celebrated the Restoration by setting up the royal
arms, building a chancel screen, inserting new glass
in the east window, and repairing the chapel roof. (fn. 61)
A visitor in 1662 thought the church 'handsomely
beautified within.' (fn. 62) A (west) gallery was built
about 1678. (fn. 63) The nave arcade seems to have been
rebuilt c. 1802. (fn. 64) That may have been a botched job,
for it was later said that the chapel was 'greatly
dilapidated and barbarized' and that 'the masts of
ships supplied the places of the stone columns
to sustain the aisle and roofs.' (fn. 65)

Romford chapel had an organ in 1552. (fn. 66) In 1814
there was an organ, erected by voluntary subscription,
in the west gallery. (fn. 67) During the following years the
chapel was employing an organist who was also
choirmaster. (fn. 68)

There were 6 bells in 1552. (fn. 69) One of them,
probably dating from the early 15th century, still
survives. By the 18th century there were 8 bells,
and a society of ringers was active by 1755. (fn. 70) All the
bells were transferred to the new church in 1850. (fn. 71)
Before 1552 Romford was well supplied with
communion plate, but the earliest surviving pieces
date from 1654. (fn. 72) In 1552 there were two chests,
one of which was allowed to remain in the chapel. (fn. 73)
An old iron chest existed c. 1660, when Nathaniel
Beadle, churchwarden, gave another 'great iron
trunk coloured blue', standing on iron wheels. (fn. 74)
Neither of those chests survives.

The original east window of the chapel was placed
there by Robert Chichele, and contained an inscription, dated 1407, commemorating Henry IV
and his queen as well as Chichele and his wife, and
stating that the chapel was founded in honour of
Christ, the Virgin, and St. Edward the Confessor. (fn. 75)
That window was presumably the one, recorded in
the early 17th century, which depicted Edward the
Confessor and two pilgrims, with the incomplete
inscription 'Johannes per peregrinos misit Regi
Edwardo …'. (fn. 76) It was no doubt removed with the
other glass in 1641. In 1661 a new picture of St.
Edward was placed in the east window. (fn. 77) It was
renewed in 1707. (fn. 78) It was evidently transferred to
the new church in 1850; it still existed c. 1876, but
must have been removed before 1882, when a new
east window was recorded. (fn. 79)

The old chapel contained several fine monuments
of the 16th and early 17th centuries, which were
removed to the new church. Many other monuments
in the church and churchyard, including some
which have disappeared, are on record. (fn. 80)

In 1840 it was decided to demolish the old chapel
and build a new one, to the designs of Edward
Blore, at the other end of the market-place. (fn. 81) The
work was started about 1844, but it was abandoned
owing to lack of funds, and the site was converted
into a cemetery. (fn. 82) The new church of St. Edward
was at last built in 1850, on the site of the previous
one. It is of Kentish ragstone with Bath stone
dressings, in the Decorated style, designed by John
Johnson. (fn. 83) It originally comprised chancel, nave
with clerestorey, north and south aisles with north
organ chamber and south chapel, west gallery,
south porch, and south-west tower with a spire
162 ft. high. (fn. 84) In 1885 two vestries were added on
the north side. (fn. 85)

A new organ, by Walker & Sons, was bought in
1866; it was rebuilt about 1905 by Speechly &
Son. (fn. 86) In the early years of the 20th century St.
Edward's was a musical centre for the churches of
the district. (fn. 87) The church bells include three by
Miles Graye (1636), and one each by John Darbie
(1657), John Waylet (1704), Lester & Pack (1756),
C. & G. Mears (recast, 1850). (fn. 88) The tenor bell was
probably by Robert Burford (d. 1418), and would
thus have been bought as part of the original
equipment of the old chapel of St. Edward. (fn. 89) The
bells were rehung in 1922. (fn. 90) There has been a
church clock at least since 1552. (fn. 91) A weight-driven
clock, made in 1759, served until 1945, when a new
electric clock, with a chime of four bells, was given
by the London Central Board of Licensed Victuallers, whose chairman was then the mayor of
Romford. (fn. 92) The dial and hands of the old clock
were retained. The church plate includes a silver
paten (1654) and silver-gilt cup (1661), both given
by Carew Hervey alias Mildmay of Marks; a pair
of flagons, dated 1640, bequeathed by John Burch
(d. 1668); (fn. 93) and a silver paten of 1707, given by
Thomas Roberts, vicar of Hornchurch. (fn. 94) A silvergilt cup and paten of 1563, listed in 1926, no longer
existed in 1976.

The church contains three fine alabaster monuments brought from the old chapel. (fn. 95) That to Sir
Anthony Cooke (d. 1576) of Gidea Hall, in the
north aisle, was restored in 1973 by Miss Inger
Norholt under the direction of the Romford
Historical Society. (fn. 96) Those of Sir George Hervey
(d. 1605) of Marks, and Anne (Hervey) wife of
George Carew (d. 1605) are in the south porch.

St. Edward's church was the only Anglican
place of public worship until the building of
St. Thomas, Noak Hill (1842). The church of
St. Andrew was built in 1862 for the district west of
Romford station, and was given a separate parish in
the following year. By 1900 four more churches had
been built: two in the town, one at Collier Row, and
one at Squirrels Heath. Seven others have been
built since the First World War, including two at
Harold Hill. Ten new parishes have been formed
since 1926.

The church of ST. THOMAS, Noak Hill,
Church Road, was built in 1842 as a memorial to
Frances, wife of Sir Thomas Neave, Bt., of Dagnams. (fn. 97)
It is a small building of red brick, with transepts and
south-west tower, designed by George Smith in the
Early English style. The tower was restored in
1971. (fn. 98) The church's most notable fittings are
collectors' items from elsewhere. They include
painted window glass of the 16th-18th centuries,
given by Sir Thomas Neave, Bt. Among these
pieces are medallions with the badge of Jane
Seymour, the arms of Charles II and Queen Anne,
and some French and Flemish glass. (fn. 99) Three
monumental brasses of the 15th to 17th centuries,
taken from South Weald church, were given to
Noak Hill church early in the present century by
John Sands of Dagnam Priory, but were restored
to South Weald in 1933. (fn. 100) The church remains in
St. Edward's parish. From 1882 to c. 1895 St.
Edward also had a mission in North Street, occupying the former Congregational church. (fn. 101)

The church of ST. ANDREW, Romford, St.
Andrew's Road, was built in 1862 for the new
working-class district on the former barrack ground.
The building, designed by John Johnson, is of
Kentish ragstone in the Early English style. (fn. 102) Since
the Second World War the district has been redeveloped, but St. Andrew remains, in its small,
hedged churchyard. A separate parish, taken from
Romford, was assigned in 1863. (fn. 103) The benefice,
endowed mainly out of the rectorial and vicarial
tithes of Romford, was declared a rectory in 1866;
the advowson was from 1863 vested in New
College. (fn. 104) The first rector, William J. Skilton,
1863–85, served with distinction on the local
board, and later on the school board, of which he was
chairman. (fn. 105) The mission church of ST. AGNES,
Jutsum's Lane, was opened in 1928. (fn. 106) The churches
of St. Alban, Princes Road (1890), and St. Augustine,
Rush Green (1958) also originated as missions of St.
Andrew, but were later given their own parishes.

The church of ALL SAINTS, Squirrels Heath,
Ardleigh Green Road, originated in 1884, when a
wooden mission church, in Romford parish, was
built in Squirrels Heath Road, at the corner of
Upper Brentwood Road. (fn. 107) In 1926 a permanent
church was completed on the same site, and a
separate parish, taken out of Romford (main part),
St. Andrew, Romford, and Hornchurch, was
formed. (fn. 108) The advowson of the vicarage was vested
in the bishop of Chelmsford. The church was
enlarged in 1933–4, but in 1941 was destroyed by
bombing. (fn. 109) Services were later held in the Royal
Liberty school, and then in a hut on the bombed
site. (fn. 110) In 1957 a new church, designed by R. C.
Foster, was built in Ardleigh Green Road, about a
mile farther east, and the parish boundaries were
altered accordingly. (fn. 111) The church of St. Michael,
Gidea Park (1929), which started as a mission of
All Saints, was later given a separate parish.

The church of THE ASCENSION, Collier Row,
Collier Row Road, originated in 1880 as a mission of
Romford. (fn. 112) Services were held first in the Hainault
Forest school, Collier Row Road, (fn. 113) and later in a
mission hall. The present church was built in 1886.
The Crown subscribed £140 towards its erection, no
doubt because there were extensive Crown estates
in the district. (fn. 114) The Revd. J. H. Pemberton
(d. 1926) of the Round House, Havering, a noted
rose-grower, was curate in charge from 1880 to
1923. He left funds to endow the benefice, and
further contributions were made by his sister,
Amelia Pemberton. A new parish, taken out of
Romford and St. Chad, Chadwell Heath, was
formed in 1927, the advowson being vested in Miss
Pemberton for life, and then in trustees, including
the vicar of Romford; the church was consecrated in
1928. (fn. 115) The parishes of the Good Shepherd, Collier
Row (1935) and St. James, Collier Row (1955)
were both taken mainly from The Ascension.

The church of ST. JOHN THE DIVINE,
Romford, Mawney Road, originated in 1897, when
an iron mission church, in Romford parish, was
opened in Willow Street. (fn. 116) In 1928, after long
delays, the first stage of a permanent church was
opened on a new site in Mawney Road. A separate
parish, taken out of Romford and St. Andrew,
Romford, was assigned to it, the advowson of the
vicarage being vested in the bishop. (fn. 117) The church,
built of brick, was designed by W. D. Caröe in
Byzantine style. The first stage comprised the
sanctuary, part of the chancel, and a temporary nave.
In the second stage (1932), the chancel was completed
and five bays of the aisled nave were built. A side
chapel was added, as a war memorial, in 1948, (fn. 118) and
a choir vestry in 1966–7, (fn. 119) but parts of the original
plan, including the upper part of the tower and the
three western bays of the nave, had not been completed by 1975. In that year it was stated that the
church was in danger of closure, with a regular
congregation of only 9 or ten. (fn. 120)

The church of ST. MICHAEL, Gidea Park,
Main Road, originated in 1929 as a mission of All
Saints, Squirrels Heath. (fn. 121) An ecclesiastical district,
taken out of All Saints, was assigned in 1933. (fn. 122) In
1936 the advowson of the vicarage was vested in the
bishop of Chelmsford, and in 1938, when a permanent church was completed, a separate parish was
formed. (fn. 123)

The church of the GOOD SHEPHERD,
Collier Row, Redriff Road, originated in 1934 as a
mission of The Ascension, Collier Row. (fn. 124) A
separate parish, taken from The Ascension and
from St. John, Romford, was formed in 1935. The
church (1935), hall, and vicarage were given by
Dame Violet Wills, in whom, and in other trustees,
the advowson of the vicarage was vested. (fn. 125)

The church of ST. ALBAN, Romford, Princes
Road, was opened in 1890 as a mission of St.
Andrew. (fn. 126) A conventional district was formed in
1935. (fn. 127) A separate parish, taken from St. Andrew,
was assigned in 1952, the advowson of the vicarage
being vested in the bishop of Chelmsford. (fn. 128)

The church of ST. GEORGE, Harold Hill,
Chippenham Road, originated in 1939, when a
mission of Romford was opened in Straight Road,
for an area still largely rural. (fn. 129) After the Second
World War it was well-placed to serve the western
side of the new Harold Hill estate. In 1953 a new
church was opened on the present site and a
conventional district was assigned. (fn. 130) A separate
parish, taken from Romford, was formed in 1956,
the advowson of the vicarage being vested in the
bishop of Chelmsford. (fn. 131)

The church of ST. PAUL, Harold Hill, Petersfield Avenue, was built in 1953 for the eastern half
of the new L.C.C. estate. (fn. 132) Churchmen from
Harold Wood, in Hornchurch, helped with the
work, and in 1954 that part of Harold Hill was
transferred to Harold Wood parish. (fn. 133) A conventional district was assigned to St. Paul in 1955,
and a separate parish, taken from Harold Wood, in
1956. (fn. 134)

The church of ST. JAMES, Collier Row, Chase
Cross Road, which succeeded the Calvary mission
of Havering, was built in 1956 and was assigned a
separate parish, taken from the Ascension, Collier
Row (main part), Romford, and Havering; the
advowson of the vicarage was vested in the bishop of
Chelmsford. (fn. 135)

The church of ST. AUGUSTINE, Rush Green,
Birkbeck Road, originated in 1946 as a mission of
St. Andrew, Romford. (fn. 136) In 1948 a hut was erected
at the corner of Birkbeck and Rush Green Roads,
and in 1953 a conventional district was formed. A
dual-purpose church was built in 1958, and a hall
was added in 1965. A separate parish, taken from the
parishes of St. Andrew, Romford, St. Peter and
St. Paul, Dagenham, and Holy Cross, Hornchurch,
was formed in 1969. The advowson of the vicarage
was vested in the bishop of Chelmsford.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM.

In 1852 a cottage in
Church Lane was registered for Roman Catholic
worship. (fn. 137) The church of ST. EDWARD, Park
End Road, was built in 1856 by William Petre, Lord
Petre. (fn. 138) A day-school was built in the same year. (fn. 139)
St. Edward's was one of the first Roman Catholic
churches built in south Essex since the Reformation,
and for many years it served a wide area. The
convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Western Road, was
founded in 1908. (fn. 140)

At Harold Hill a priest started work in 1949,
when the first houses were being built on the L.C.C.
estate. (fn. 141) A new parish was formed in 1952. In 1953,
with Mass attendances averaging about 1,000, a
church hall was opened in Petersfield Avenue. The
church of the MOST HOLY REDEEMER,
adjoining the hall, was completed in 1964. (fn. 142) It is of
variegated brick with roof-line canted up to the tall
west front, which is mainly of glass.

A new parish for the western side of Harold Hill was
formed in 1954, and the church of ST. DOMINIC,
Straight Road, was opened in 1956. (fn. 143) There is a
primary day-school attached to this church.

At Collier Row a new parish was formed in 1952. (fn. 144)
A church hall was registered in Lowshoe Lane in
1955, and the church of CORPUS CHRISTI,
adjoining it, in 1965. There is a primary day-school
attached to this church.

At Gidea Park a new parish was formed in 1963.
The church of CHRIST THE ETERNAL HIGH
PRIEST, Brentwood Road, was opened in the
same year. (fn. 145) It is an octagonal building of brown
brick with a central spirelet.

PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.

There
have been nonconformists at Romford since the
later 17th century. In 1672 Samuel Deakin was
licensed to conduct worship in the house of George
Locksmith there, and William Blackmore to do so in
his own house at Hare Street; at the same time the
houses of William Mascall, surgeon, and William
Wood, both at Romford, were also licensed for
Presbyterians. (fn. 146) Deakin (d. 1676) and Blackmore
(d. 1684) were both buried at Romford. (fn. 147) Nothing
certain is known of Deakin's earlier career. Blackmore, a prominent Presbyterian, had been ejected
in 1662 from St. Peter's, Cornhill (Lond.).

In 1690 Edward Whiston of Romford, 'aged and
poor and no constant meeting', began to receive an
annual grant from the Presbyterian and Independent
Common Fund. (fn. 148) This was continued at least until
1693, and in 1691–3 the Fund also made a grant to
Edward Kighley for lecturing to Whiston's congregation. (fn. 149) Whiston and Kighley both had connexions also with the Presbyterian congregation at
Aldborough Hatch, Ilford. (fn. 150) Whiston died in
1697. (fn. 151) His work probably led to the foundation of
Romford Independent (now United Reformed)
church. (fn. 152)

In the late 17th century there were also some
Quakers at Romford. Among their leaders was
William Mead (d. 1713) who about 1684 bought the
manor of Gooshayes at Harold Hill, then called
Harold Wood, and lived there with his wife Sarah,
who was the stepdaughter of George Fox (d. 1691). (fn. 153)
In his later years Fox visited Gooshayes several
times. By 1691 there was a small Friends' meeting at
Harold Hill, belonging to the Barking monthly
meeting. In 1695 the monthly meeting decided that
Harold Hill should be reduced to the status of a
'retired' meeting, attended only by those too infirm
to travel to public meetings farther away. The
monthly meeting continued to meet occasionally at
Harold Hill up to 1701. In 1709 the Friends applied
to quarter sessions to license for meetings the house
of William Smith at Romford. (fn. 154) Nothing permanent
resulted from this. Sarah Mead, who died in 1714,
left £100 for building a meeting-house at Romford
or Harold Hill. This legacy was an embarrassment
to the monthly meeting, which in 1718 declared that
the few Friends living in those areas attended the
Barking meeting, which was itself small and poor. (fn. 155)
They asked that the legacy should be made available
for the general charitable purposes of the monthly
meeting. Sir Nathaniel Mead, Sarah's executor,
eventually agreed to this, and the money was handed
over in 1732.

For most of the 18th century the Independent
church, then in Collier Row Lane (North Street)
was the only dissenting place of worship in Romford.
Another Independent church, opened in 1798, was
merged with North Street in 1818. The first
Wesleyan Methodist church in the town was opened
in 1827, and the first Baptist church in 1836. By the
end of the 19th century there were also Primitive
Methodist, Salvation Army, and Catholic Apostolic
churches, and several undenominational missions.
In 1972 there were 28 registered places of worship.
They included 6 Baptist, 4 Methodist, 2 United
Reformed, 1 Quaker, and 2 Salvation Army. The
remainder belonged mainly to fundamentalist or
Pentecostal sects, which accounted for 12 out of the
23 churches opened since the First World War.

Baptists.

Salem church, London Road, was
founded in 1836 with 13 members, most of whom had
previously worshipped at Ilford. (fn. 156) Early meetings
were held in a schoolroom in the market-place
belonging to John R. Ward. (fn. 157) Thomas Kendall,
from Ilford, was the first pastor (1836–47). In 1840 a
small chapel was built on part of the old barrack
ground in London Road. Dissension arose, and in
1847 some of the members, led by Kendall, seceded
to form a church at Chadwell Heath. (fn. 158) In the same
year, however, those remaining at Salem built a
larger chapel adjoining the earlier building. Another
secession took place in 1852. During the ministries
of Joseph Davis (1866–79) and J. M. Steven (1879–
1913) the church prospered. A hall was added in
1868, (fn. 159) and shortly before the First World War Salem
opened the Pretoria Road mission, later Mawneys
Baptist church. After the war the membership of
Salem increased, and in 1934 a new church was
built in Main Road. It was originally intended that
the old Salem should be retained as the Sunday
school of Main Road, but in 1936 it was reconstituted as a separate church, which still survives.
Salem is a yellow-brick building with the date 1847
under the roof pediment.

Main Road, now called Romford Baptist church,
has grown steadily, and by 1971, with 594 members,
was one of the largest Baptist churches in England. (fn. 160)
It has founded two other churches, at Chase Cross
and Dagenham, and helped to form a third, at
Harold Hill. (fn. 161)

Zoar (Strict) church, Market Place, later North
Street, originated in 1849, when Samuel Ford's
house was registered for worship by H. W. Tydeman,
minister of the New London Road, Chelmsford,
church. (fn. 162) A chapel seating 40 was opened in 1850
in part of a building at the entrance to Ducking
Stool Alley, nearly opposite the Laurie Hall. (fn. 163) Zoar
is thought to have been joined in 1852 by seceders
from Salem. (fn. 164) It appears to have moved to North
Street by 1871, and to have closed soon after. (fn. 165)

Romford Common chapel, Harold Wood Hall,
originally Congregational, was taken over about
1866 by the Baptists of the Metropolitan Tabernacle (Lond.). (fn. 166) It was still active in 1882. (fn. 167) In that
year the Baptists opened a church at Hornchurch, (fn. 168)
and they apparently gave up the Romford Common
chapel soon after. (fn. 169)

Mawneys church, Pretoria Road, originated in
1910 as a mission of Salem. The original iron hall
was replaced by a brick building in 1928, and a
separate church was formed in 1931. (fn. 170)

Zoar (Strict) church, Carlisle Road, was formed in
1927. (fn. 171) It was originally in Hornchurch Road, but
had moved by 1936 to Albert Road. (fn. 172) The present
building was erected in 1953. (fn. 173)

Chase Cross church, Chase Cross Road, originated in 1936, as a mission of Romford (Main Road);
a permanent building was opened in 1961. (fn. 174)

Harold Hill church, Taunton Road, originated in
1950, when the Baptists of Main Road and the
Congregationalists of South Street opened a joint
Sunday school at Harold Hill. (fn. 175) This collaboration
continued until 1955, when the Baptists built
Taunton Road. (fn. 176)

Methodists.

Trinity (Wesleyan) church, Mawney
Road (now Angel Way), originated by 1827 when a
chapel was built in High Street. (fn. 177) The first resident
minister was John Smith (1828–30), whose brilliant
career, cut short by death, was long remembered in
Romford. (fn. 178) By 1829 the church, then in the Spitalfields
circuit, had 80 members and a regular congregation
of 260. (fn. 179) It was in the Romford circuit 1833–48, and
later in the Barking and Romford 1848–77, Romford
1877–1908, Ilford 1908–47, and the new Romford
circuit from 1947. (fn. 180) The Romford society was
affected by the Wesleyan Reform movement. In
1850 John Hornstead, society steward and trustee,
was among the delegates to the Reform meeting
at Albion chapel, Moorgate (Lond.). (fn. 181) He also
appears among the local preachers on a plan of the
3rd and 8th London (Wesleyan Reform) circuits for
1852. (fn. 182) This indicates that he had seceded from
High Street. The nearest Reform chapel on the
1852 plan was at Becontree Heath, in Dagenham. (fn. 183)
The Romford society, however, remained loyal to the
old connexion, and in 1867 built a new schoolroom. (fn. 184)
In 1887 the old chapel was sold to the Salvation
Army, and in 1888 the present Trinity church,
seating 600, was built at a cost of £3,400. (fn. 185) It was
well placed in Mawney Road, on the growing
Mawneys estate. A school was built in 1899. In
1906 Trinity was the centre of a free church
mission that led to the 'Romford revival.' (fn. 186) New
vestries were added in 1923, and further extensive
alterations were carried out in 1936. At that period
one of the church leaders was Thomas England, the
estate developer. Trinity was damaged by bombing
in 1940. (fn. 187) The construction of St. Edward's Way
(1970) has left the church awkwardly isolated on the
southern edge of that ring road.

Ebenezer (Wesleyan) church, The Lawn, Collier
Row, was registered in 1877. (fn. 188) In the 1880s it was
described as unsectarian. It appears to have ceased
about 1890. (fn. 189)

Victoria Road (Primitive) church originated
about 1873, when missionaries came from Grays. (fn. 190)
A permanent building was erected in 1875. It was
in the Grays and Romford circuit until 1935, the
Ilford circuit 1935–47, and then the Romford
circuit. It was wrecked by bombing during the
Second World War, was rebuilt in 1950, but closed
in 1966. (fn. 191)

Harold Hill church, Dagnam Park Drive,
originated in 1950, when members of the Harold
Wood church, under the Revd. Leslie W. Gray,
started open air services on the new L.C.C.
estate. (fn. 192) A school-church was built in 1953 with the
aid of 'portable' war damage compensation from the
former Grove Methodist church at Stratford, in
West Ham. (fn. 193) A foundation stone from the Grove
(1873) is incorporated in the Harold Hill building.

Collier Row church, Clockhouse Lane, was planned
in 1939, when the site was bought with funds from
the sale of Chadwell Heath church. (fn. 194) About 1950
the Romford circuit started mission work at Collier
Row, and in 1954 the church was built. (fn. 195)

Havering Road church, Moray Way, Rise Park,
originated in 1957, when a hall, in the Romford
circuit, was registered. (fn. 196) The church was built
beside the hall in 1974. (fn. 197) It is of snuff-coloured
brick, with full-height windows across each corner,
giving an octagonal plan; there is a central spirelet.

United Reformed and earlier Congregational Churches.

Romford United Reformed
church, Western Road, probably originated in the
work of Edward Whiston and other Presbyterians
in the late 17th century. (fn. 198) In 1700 a meeting at
Stewards, Romford, was registered by Independents. (fn. 199) Stewards, a manor house in Hornchurch
Road (South Street) was demolished shortly before
September 1717. (fn. 200) In August of that year Peter
Goodwin, Independent minister, conveyed to
trustees a meeting-house in Collier Row Lane
(North Street). William Sheldon, minister 1732–63,
took charge also of the Independent meeting at
Havering Well, in Hornchurch, which from that
time was permanently attached to Romford. During
the pastorate of Thomas Ellis, 1771–7, who held
unitarian views, the church is thought to have
declined, but it was revived by his successor,
Thomas Strahan (1777–1825), who as a layman had
worshipped with the Calvinistic Methodists at
Moorfields Tabernacle (Lond.). By the end of the
18th century the Collier Row Lane and Havering
Well churches together had endowments producing
£35 a year, mostly for the maintenance of the
minister.

In 1819 the Collier Row Lane church united with
Bethel chapel, Hornchurch Lane. (fn. 201) The Collier
Row Lane building was demolished, and the Union
chapel was built on the same site in 1823. (fn. 202) Samuel
H. Carlisle, minister 1827–52, was an unbalanced and
quarrelsome Scotsman. (fn. 203) His control of the endowments made it almost impossible to dismiss him,
and in 1846 a large part of his flock seceded to form
Coverdale chapel. (fn. 204) After Carlisle's death the two
churches re-united. Frederick Sweet, 1864–1902,
was an outstanding minister, serving also as chairman
of Romford school board, and as a leader of the
local Liberal party. (fn. 205) In 1877 a new church was
opened on a prominent site in South Street. (fn. 206) It
was built in Early English style, of brick faced with
Kentish ragstone, to the design of E. C. Allam of
Romford. The 1819 building was later a Salvation
Army hall, an Anglican mission, a printing works
(c. 1900–20), and finally a Peculiar People's chapel;
it was demolished about 1934. (fn. 207)

The new church in South Street was gutted by
fire in 1883, but was rebuilt in the same year. A
hall and schoolrooms were added in 1884, and the
old Coverdale building in North Street was then
sold. South Street supported the mission at Chadwell
Heath, Dagenham, from 1896 to 1901, and in 1906
helped to form a new church at Emerson Park,
Hornchurch. (fn. 208) In 1910 the hall was enlarged,
partly with money given by an American grandson
of Samuel H. Carlisle, and was renamed the Carlisle
institute. By that time the membership was over 200.
During the ministry of T. Sinclair Phillips, 1920–37,
it rose to a peak of over 400. (fn. 209) After the Second
World War mission work was undertaken on the
Harold Hill estate, leading to the formation of a new
church in Heaton Way. In 1965 the South Street
buildings were sold for redevelopment and a new
church was built in Western Road. (fn. 210) This is a
polygonal building of red brick with central spirelet.
There are halls behind it. In 1971 the membership
was 180. (fn. 211)

Bethel Independent chapel, Hornchurch Lane
(South Street), appears to have originated in 1792,
when John Ping and others registered for worship
the house of Hannah Gray in that road. (fn. 212) A chapel
was built in the same road in 1796. (fn. 213) It was joined by
a congregation which since 1794 had been meeting in
a cottage at Becontree Heath. (fn. 214) The first minister,
Henry Attely, 1798–c. 1805, was active also in
Rainham, Upminster, and Dagenham. (fn. 215) He established friendly relations with the Collier Row Lane
church and in 1819, after the departure of his
successor, Bethel united with the older church.
After the building of the Union church in 1823
Bethel was sold.

Coverdale Independent chapel, Collier Row Lane
(North Street), originated in 1846, in a secession
from the Union chapel. (fn. 216) With help from the Essex
Congregational Union a small chapel was opened in
1847 almost opposite the Union chapel. The split
was healed in 1853, when the 20 members of
Coverdale re-united with the 28 of the Union chapel.
The Coverdale building was retained by the Union
chapel, and was used as a Sunday school until 1884.
It was sold in 1887 and converted into a dwelling. (fn. 217)

Romford Common Congregational chapel seems
to have originated in 1861, when a schoolroom at
Harold Wood Hall was registered for worship. (fn. 218) It
was taken over by the Baptists about 1866. (fn. 219)

A Congregational meeting existed at Collier Row
in the 1870s. (fn. 220)

Heaton Way United Reformed church originated
in 1950, when the Congregationalists of South Street
and the Baptists of Main Road opened a joint Sunday
school at Harold Hill. (fn. 221) The Baptists departed to
Taunton Road in 1955. (fn. 222) The Congregationalists, after
many setbacks, formed their own church in 1960,
and in 1962 completed the building in Heaton Way.

Other Churches and Missions.

The Catholic
Apostolic church, Manor Road, originated in 1867,
when a house in High Street was registered for
worship. (fn. 223) Meetings were held in the Laurie Hall,
Market Place, from 1869 until about 1894, when an
iron church was built in Manor Road. (fn. 224) In 1962 that
church was re-registered as the undenominational
Manor Hall. (fn. 225)

The Salvation Army opened fire in Romford in
1881. Its missionaries reported a hostile reception in
this 'brewery blighted' town. (fn. 226) Their headquarters
were at first in North Street, in the old Union
(Congregational) chapel (1881–2), and its schoolroom,
formerly Coverdale chapel. (fn. 227) Among their supporters
were Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Read, of Holm Lodge,
London Road, who are said to have been formerly
members of the community of Agapemonites. (fn. 228) In
1886 there was a Salvation Army tent at Holm
Lodge. (fn. 229) In 1887 the Army took over the old
Wesleyan chapel in High Street. (fn. 230) That remained in
use until 1967, when a new citadel was built to
replace it. (fn. 231) The old building was demolished to
make room for the roundabout linking High Street
and London Road with St. Edward's Way. The new
citadel was built farther east in High Street, to the
design of Ernest J. Lipscomb. (fn. 232) Its most striking
feature is a tall circular building used for the
Sunday school. This has windows of coloured glass
framed by longitudinal fins of concrete. In North
Romford the Salvation Army had a hall in Collier
Row Road, 1937–41, and then in Chase Cross Road,
registered 1942. (fn. 233) In 1963 it built a hall in Oxford
Road, Harold Hill. (fn. 234)

Brazier's Yard mission, High Street, was opened
in 1884 for undenominational religious and temperance work among the poor. (fn. 235) Mrs. Read, the founder, was no doubt the friend of the Salvation Army
mentioned above. The original mission room was
replaced in 1894 by a hall made from three cottages,
and two other cottages were later bought for use as
classrooms. In 1912 the mission moved to the old
Albion Street school. It appears to have closed
during the 1920s.

Romford Town mission was founded about
1886. (fn. 236) James Finley, who had been dismissed from
his post as a lay missioner at St. Edward's church,
continued evangelical work under an undenominational committee whose chairman for many years
was J. W. Lasham, a local chemist. (fn. 237) Meetings were
held at first in a cottage on the Mawneys estate, but
by 1895 had been transferred to the Laurie Hall.
The mission's aims were similar to those of Brazier's
Yard. It was supported for a time by the Country
Towns Mission. Finley died in 1906, but his widow
Maria carried on the work for several years. The
mission met at the Regent Hall, Market Place,
c. 1913–29, and later at the Ingrave Hall, Ingrave
Road. It appears to have ceased about 1933.

Richmond Road Evangelical, formerly Peculiar
People's, church originated in the 1920s with meetings
in the old Congregational (Union) chapel, North
Street. (fn. 238) The new church, built in Richmond Road,
was registered in 1934. (fn. 239) Harold Hill Evangelical
Free church, Bridgewater Road, and Collier Row
Gospel mission, Mowbrays Road, which belong to
the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical churches,
were both opened in 1956. (fn. 240) The Evangelical church,
Brentwood Road, is treated under Hornchurch.

Romford Christian Spiritualist church, St.
Edward's Way (formerly Church Lane), originated
in 1923. (fn. 241) Meetings were held at first in a hall in
Brooklands Road (1923–8). A church was built in
Church Lane in 1929. The congregation increased,
and in 1937 a larger church was built behind the
previous one, which became a hall.

The Friends' meeting-house, Balgores Crescent,
Gidea Park, originated in 1934, when a particular
meeting was formed in Romford. (fn. 242) Early meetings
were held in Brentwood Road and later, from 1944,
in Victoria Road. (fn. 243) The present meeting-house was
built in 1961. (fn. 244) It comprises a range of yellow-brick
buildings, including a warden's house in a secluded
garden.

The Brethren have five halls in Romford. Ingrave
hall, Ingrave Road, was apparently taken over from
the Town Mission about 1933. (fn. 245) Rush Green hall,
Birkbeck Road, and Collier Row hall, Collier Row
Road, were both registered in 1936. (fn. 246) Rise Park hall,
later chapel, Pettits Lane North, was first registered
in 1948. (fn. 247) The Carlisle room, Carlisle Road, was
registered in 1963. (fn. 248)

The Jehovah's Witnesses registered premises in
Victoria Road 1941–2, in Eastern Road 1951, and in
Trowbridge Road, Harold Hill 1959. (fn. 249) Only the
last was still in use in 1975.

Elim church, Wheatsheaf Road, appears to have
originated in 1944, when the British Israel World
Federation and Evangelical Church of England
registered a hall, later known as Christ Church, in
Victoria Road. (fn. 250) It was re-registered in 1948 by the
Bible Pattern Church Fellowship, which in 1955
moved to Wheatsheaf Road (fn. 251) Elim was registered
under that name in 1960. (fn. 252) The London City
Mission registered a hall in Gooshays Drive,
Harold Hill, in 1961. (fn. 253) Varley Memorial hall,
Briar Road, Harold Hill, was registered by the
Christian Community in 1962. (fn. 254)

Romford and District synagogue
originated in 1933, when a congregation was formed.
Temporary burial rights were granted by the United
Synagogue in 1934. A synagogue hall in Palm Road
was registered in 1938. (fn. 256) Activities were suspended
during the Second World War. They were resumed
after the war at a house in Eastern Road, and a
permanent synagogue was built in the garden
there in 1954. (fn. 257) In 1970 the old house was demolished
and a larger synagogue was built on the site. (fn. 258)

Harold Hill and District Affiliated synagogue
originated in 1953 when a congregation was formed.
It became affiliated in 1954. Services were held in
hired premises until 1958, when a pre-fabricated
building was erected in Trowbridge Road. (fn. 259) In
1962 the side walls of the synagogue were rebuilt in
brick, making it a permanent structure.